


The 12 Consequences; Songs of Redemption and Resurrection

by NyxEternal



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst and Feels, Big Damn Heroes, Character Study, Exploration, Fix-It of Sorts, Found Family, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, Introspection, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Religious Conflict, Slavery, Slow Burn, The Compact is Bullshit, This Is Not A Hanar Friendly Space, To Be Edited, original alien race
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:33:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22842544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxEternal/pseuds/NyxEternal
Summary: Sort of a rewrite of Annihilation.The Keelah Si'Yah was meant to join the rest of the Initiative in the Andromeda Galaxy, but it never arrived. Instead, the crew is woken up a couple million light-years from their destination, to a couple hundred dead bodies already on the ship, including the Hanar Pathfinder. Why are there so many dead passengers? Why were their calculations off? How are they going to survive long enough to join up with the rest of the Initiative? And what lives here, in the Cassiopeia Dwarf galaxy? Is it friendly, or do they have another problem to add to the growing list?
Kudos: 2





	1. Far From Home

**Author's Note:**

> So this is an entire Original Character cast. Every character here has been made by yours truly. As for why this exists, well, I was incredibly displeased at Annihilation's whole "Let's basically genocide the Drell!" and I'm forever salty there is no Drell Pathfinder. I also wanted an excuse to tell a story with my Drell OC, Letha, and, well, things went from there.
> 
> Also, fair warning, I have Strong Opinions on The Hanar.

“Pathfinder Aravald is dead,” said Captain Maen. Sav’Nerra shook his head as he tried to orient himself _and_ make sense of what she said. “And he is only one of _several_ individuals on this vessel that won’t be waking up.”

“Keelah,” Sav breathed as he fumbled with his enviro-suit. He dreaded putting it on, finding an untold freedom in the sterile room. “Is there another Hanar Pathfinder?”

“No, not a Hanar,” Captain Maen said with a deep sigh. “He stated early on in the event of his death, it was to go to his attendant.”

“A Drell, then?”

“Yes, and a young one,” she said. “Only twenty-one, and spent her entire life serving him.”

“The Compact is brutal,” Sav said. “Remind me again how it isn’t slavery?”

“I don’t know how she feels about it, so maybe save that opinion,” Captain Maen retorted. “Hurry up and get dressed, I want you and Udan there when she wakes up.”

“Ugh.”

“I know Udan isn’t the best company, but…”

“I’d rather take the Hanar,” Sav muttered. “A Batarian Pathfinder? Really?”

“Udan is not like the rest of his people,” Captain Maen said. Sav grumbled as he finally started to pull on his suit. While it was built for comfort, it still felt… Restraining. Captain Maen’s was worse, he had to admit. She wore extra belts, and even chains, on her armor, weighing her down, restraining her.

A symbol of what the suits were, what they represented. Captain Maen was an icon to Sav, and half the reason he joined the Initiative, despite his mother’s protests. Though, he had to admit, now that he was _six hundred years_ away from her, he had second thoughts.

“There’s another problem,” Captain Maen admitted as he affixed his helmet. “We aren’t _in_ Andromeda.”

“What?”

“We’re in the Cassiopeia Dwarf galaxy,” she said, holding her hands up in defense. “So we aren’t _far_ , just…”

“Far enough to be a problem, I assume?”

“You and the other two Pathfinders have your work cut out for you, I’m afraid. We have fuel reserves to get your ship going and to a few planets for exploration, and supplies to last us three years, permitting we have no disasters,” she explained. Sav listened intently as he grabbed his scarf, hand woven by his mother, and brought it over the top of his helmet. Shimmering gold with patterns of pale lavender, to make his suit. “We’re going to have to find golden worlds _quickly_.”

“You’re asking the impossible. And this Drell girl? She’s getting thrown into this mess?” Sav asked. Captain Maen nodded. “You’re trusting me with this the most, aren’t you?”

“Sav, your mother and I were like sisters growing up,” she said as she put her hands on his shoulders. “I watched you grow up. I know you can handle this.”

“Laeli…”

“You can do this,” she said as she pressed her helmet to his. “I’m trusting you.”

“Great,” he muttered. “Now how do I trust myself?”

* * *

“We are approximately 2.58 million light-years from our destination,” Captain Maen told him. Udan choked, then spat out the tea he had been given. “And we have one dead Pathfinder.”

“One of yours, or the Hanar?”

“Aravald,” she said. “His Drell attendant will be taking his place.”

“She doesn’t look big enough to take the place of a lamppost,” he grunted. Captain Maen shook her head. “She’s small, and her people aren’t really hardy.”

“They were his wishes,” she said. “If it’s so terrible, we can hope she dies quickly, so I can name a replacement.”

Udan stared at the Quarian Captain. Not what he expected to come from her, but he supposed when you were six hundred years away from anyone who might care or judge you, your true colors came out. Why wear a mask when no one in the new galaxy cared to begin with? He would have to keep an eye on her.

He didn’t quite trust her, if he was being honest. Then again, he doubted she, or many others on the ship, trusted him. That was fine. He was not there to look for friends. Only a new start for his people.

“Is Efelya awake?” Udan asked quietly. Captain Maen shook her head. “What about Agapor?”

“Agapor’s been awake for the past few days,” she admitted. “He’s like a wild beast, pacing and waiting for Efelya.”

“If you had a lover, you’d understand,” Udan remarked. “Let me know when she wakes up.”

“You will be the second to know,” Captain Maen retorted. “Agapor takes priority, of course.”

“Fair enough.” Udan shrugged. “So, anything else you’re not telling me?”

“Aravald is not the only corpse we found upon waking up,” she said. Udan looked at her, then shook his head. “Midnight Squad found two hundred and sixteen other dead bodies, some of which had been dragged out of their stasis pods.”

“So, what? We thinking murder from Evening Squad?” Udan asked. Captain Maen scoffed and turned her head. “You got a different idea?”

“Do you really think Lyn and Esco would be capable of that?”

“I don’t trust suits,” he said, giving her a pointed stare. “Yours, or the Volus. If I can’t read your face, I can’t read your emotions, _Captain._ ”

“You don’t need to be hostile,” Captain Maen snapped. “Not here. Not with me. Is that understood?”

“Perfectly, ma’am,” he said as he rolled his shoulder and got to his feet. “So, other ideas?”

“A few, but that will be included in the _team_ debriefing,” she said. “Meet me in the conference room in thirty minutes. Sav and the new Pathfinder will be there as well.”

“Let’s hope she has a sense of humor, yeah?”

“To put up with you, she’d need one,” Captain Maen said as she turned away. “Or a stiff drink.”

“It’s not a drink, but I could give her a stiff _something_ ,” he said with a smirk as he watched her bristle. “You, too, Captain."

* * *

_“Pathfinder Aravald is dead.”_

The words echoed in Letha’s mind on repeat as Dr. Valos examined her with the scanner. Captain Maen stood not far off, shining a brilliant gold against the white and pale blue background of the medical bay, interspersed with black belts and silver chains that hung loosely off her enviro-suit. She delivered the news with a deadpan tone, as if it would not shatter her world.

Four words. It took _four words_ to ruin her world, to destroy all she had known. It left her feeling numb and sick, empty. She drowned out everything else the Captain told her, focusing only on that.

“She checks out, Laeli,” Dr. Valos said. “But she is going to need psychiatric assessments done.”

“We don’t have the time for that,” Captain Maen said. Letha wanted to laugh. What did any of that matter? “Pathfinder Vesura.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Letha asked. “I… What?”

“Aravald wanted, in the event of his death, you to continue his role as Pathfinder,” Captain Man explained. “That was why you were outfitted with the implant, as well.”

“I don’t…” Letha shook her head.

“If you do not wish to honor Aravald’s dying wish, then we can likely find a replacement,” Captain Maen said. “Simply say the word, Letha.”

“Don’t feel obligated to do this, Letha,” Dr. Valos said. “In this new galaxy, the Compact doesn’t exist anymore. You’re free to—”

“If Aravald wanted me to pick up where he left off, then I am obligated to do so,” Letha interrupted, shooting the doctor a look. “Captain Maen—”

“Of course,” she said as she stood up. “Meet me in the conference room as soon as you are able. There will be a debriefing to explain the full situation to you and the other two Pathfinders, then I will allow you some time to get acquainted with each other.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Letha said. Captain Maen nodded, then quickly left.

“You don’t have to serve him in death, Letha,” Dr. Valos said. “The Compact does not exist here.”

“Do you think I serve him just because of the Compact?” Letha asked. “I’ve known him my entire life, I started to serve him when I was a child!”

“Don’t you hear yourself right now?” Dr. Valos snapped. Letha shrank away from him. “Children should not be serving as attendants! They should be playing and living carefree lives.”

“It was an _honor_ to serve him,” she insisted. “And I will honor his good memory by doing what I can for our people, and his.”

“And if you have to choose?”

“What?”

“If you have to choose,” he said. “Between our people, and his. Who will you choose?”

“That would never happen—”

“Oh, but it could,” Dr. Valos argued. Letha forced herself to stand and held her head high, holding his gaze with her own. “And what will you do then? Honor the Compact to the detriment of your own people?”

“I will find a solution that benefits us both,” she said. “Just as they did for us.”

“Oh, Letha,” Dr. Valos sighed and shook his head. “I pray that, someday, you open your eyes.”

Letha shook her head and walked past the doctor, still struggling with her wobbly legs. It took a great deal of effort to make the show that she did, to prove she was not as weak and tired as she felt she was. In front of Dr. Valos, and Captain Maen, however, she wanted to prove she was strong. She could endure anything.

She had to endure anything.


	2. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three Pathfinders discover their full list of problems to tackle, as well as interpersonal relationships beginning to form. Some good, some bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I make no apologies for Udan. I love him.

Sav’Nerra was the first one to the conference room, in traditional Sav’Nerra nar Idenna fashion. Always early, never late. If he hadn’t woken up to such awful news, he would have made the joke he was surprised he didn’t wake up early.

He chalked it up to anxiety and a profound fear of failing, instilled in him at an incredibly young age. He didn’t mind it that much. It impressed people. It made him look good, better than he was. They might remember his helpfulness, his punctuality, his eagerness, and not the way he fumbled or stammered.

Udan sauntered into the conference room in his armor; a bright silver and pale blue, contrasting the incredibly dark brown skin, but complimenting the pair of light blue stripes on his chin. He flashed Sav a wide grin, showing his teeth as he did. Sav shuddered.

“Scared?” Udan teased.

“Of you?” Sav snorted, trying to sound braver than he was. “Only in your dreams.”

“Well, you’re certainly in them,” he said as he took his position beside him. “Do you wanna hear about them?”

“I hate you.”

“But you’re stuck with me,” Udan pointed out. “You met the Drell yet?”

“No,” Sav admitted. What would the new Pathfinder even be liked? He hoped, whoever they were, they would be better than his current companion. “Captain Maen will likely be bringing her.”

“What are your thoughts on her, anyway?” Udan asked as he sat down on the table, facing him. “I have a hard time with making any real attempt at… Well, let’s say I have a few personal assumptions, and I want to get a gauge on what you might be thinking.”

“Captain Maen is a close friend of my mother’s,” Sav admitted, looking down. “I grew up knowing her, until she left the Idenna. She was like family to me.”

“Awfully personal. But as a _captain_?”

“She makes me a little uneasy,” he whispered. “She is… Harsher than I expected her to be, with an unfamiliar coldness.”

“Mm,” Udan hummed. “Good to know.”

“Why?”

“She said some things to me that leave me suspicious,” he explained. “I won’t repeat them here, but… I just want to keep an eye on her, and our new Pathfinder.”

“Oh…” Sav nodded, then looked back to the door. Did Captain Maen not like the Drell Pathfinder? Did she not trust them?

The door opened and Captain Maen stepped into the room, almost commanding the attention of the two Pathfinders. Chains chimed as she walked, alerting Udan to her presence. She kept her head high and she walked with purpose, intent.

This was not the Laeli’Maen he knew as a child, with her warm voice and loving words. Laeli had been gentle, once. Not anymore. He almost wanted to ask her what happened to change her.

From behind her, out stepped a small, lithe Drell. She did not wear her armor yet, instead, she was still dressed in the white shirt with grey stripes under the arms, and loose fitting, white pants that her people went to the pods in. Dr. L’Shaol had worn something similar under her coat when she flitted about the medical bay.

The pale clothes stood out against her skin; a dark, almost black, shade of blue, with the hint of green around her face. Wide, dark eyes took in his appearance, as well as Udan’s, shining with little flecks of gold. Sav found it hard to breathe, looking at her, and yet, his heart raced.

“Sav’Nerra vas Keelah Si’Yah, Udan Rog’celok, meet Letha Vesura,” Captain Maen said. “ _Pathfinder_ Vesura.”

“Sav doesn’t bite,” Udan said. “But I might if you ask me to.”

“ _Udan_ ,” Captain Maen and Sav said, almost simultaneously. The Batarian Pathfinder laughed, much to Sav’s chagrin.

“Anyway, I’m gonna ask a dumb question, but I doubt anyone else has asked it yet,” Udan said, leaning back on his hand on the table. “Do you even know _how_ to fight?”

* * *

“Do you even know _how_ to fight?”

Letha looked at him like he was some kind of a monster. It _almost_ made him want to laugh. Millions of light-years from home, and he was still the scary monster. It should have been proof enough, his willingness to leave the hegemony, and the choice to make him a Pathfinder.

“I have minor experience in that regard,” she said, finally speaking. For a Drell, she had a lovely voice. Soft, but still with that odd crackle to their voices. It evoked memories of traveling the wilderness and hearing water crossing over a stream and a bed of rocks.

“Aravald wanted you to take his place, right?” Sav asked. “We should trust his judgment.”

Udan wanted to laugh. It was almost too-obvious he was the oldest of the three, with actual life experience under his belt. Had either of them killed someone? Seen a dead body?

This mission was doomed from the start.

He stared at Captain Maen, her expression guarded by the soft golden glow of her helmet. What was she _thinking_? What did she hope to accomplish?

“Why doesn’t she have armor?” Udan asked, keeping his attention on the Captain, keeping an eye on her body language. The Quarian crossed her arms, chains chiming at her hips as she moved.

“She’ll be armed before you get to your ship, rest assured,” Captain Maen said, hostility in her tone buried under courtesy. Yes, that was it. Put on the mask for her own kind.

Udan decided, then and there, he _hated_ Captain Maen, and that she had to be up to something.

“When do we leave?”

“Tonight, after the debriefing and a meal to facilitate healthy relations between you all,” Captain Maen said, the glow of her eyes narrowing. “So eager to get out into the new galaxy, Udan?”

“I’m not exactly comfortable staying in one place,” he said, turned to look at Sav. He looked uncomfortable, balancing his weight from foot to foot in an almost-bounce. He was nervous. He did not like the Captain being questioned at all. Funny, given his revelation minutes ago.

“Can we please…” Letha whispered. “Can we please get on with this meeting?”

“Of course,” Captain Maen sighed. “As you three are aware, Pathfinder Aravald was found dead upon our waking up. His body was one of one hundred still in their pods. The remaining one hundred and sixteen were ripped from their pods. By the time the rest of us woke up, there was already decay. A few corpses were only identifiable by the empty pods and skeletal structures.”

“Why weren’t we woken up sooner?” Udan asked. Sav shot him a look, then looked down.

“There was no protocol in place for this sort of thing,” Captain Maen retorted. “It is believed, initially, to be faulty pods. However, Midnight Squad suspects foul play.”

“Foul play how?”

“Aravald’s body in particular had been carved into,” she explained. He heard Letha gasp and he squeezed his eyes shut. Poor girl. “Some were missing limbs. A few of the Drell corpses found were… Incredibly mutilated.”

“Racially oriented, then,” Udan muttered. His money was on the Quarians, but he had to admit, it sounded like something his own people might do. “What did Agapor think?”

“Agapor and his partner Celu’Xil have consulted with Dr. Whispering Shadows to conclude that this reminiscent of a blood cult back on Kahje,” Captain Maen said. “However, Agapor was also able to suggest that this is not unlike the calling card of a particular group of Batarian extremists.”

“Neither should’ve been allowed in the Initiative,” Udan said as he hopped off the table and turned to face the captain. “Is there anything else?”

“Regarding that, no,” Captain Maen. “I’ll allow the three of you to examine the bodies before departing if you so wish.”

“Right,” Udan sighed and shook his head. “Now about us not quite being where we’re supposed to be…”

* * *

Captain Maen shifted next to her, chains chiming and leather shifting. Letha wanted nothing more than to run, to go back to her pod and sleep and hope they would wake somewhere safer. Or maybe she would never wake up. Would that be nice, too?

“We are a little farther from the mark than we would like, yes,” Captain Maen explained. “I’m not sure why… Or how protocol allowed for us to wake up _early_ like this.”

“Who authorized it?” Udan, the Batarian asked. “Isn’t there supposed to be procedure for this?”

“There is, there is,” Captain Maen said. “There was a specific trigger set to alert Midnight Squad to start waking people up from stasis. It has _been_ six hundred years. The Nexus should already be ready for us, but… We missed our mark, it looks like.”

“So we just have to realign and continue on to the Nexus?” Letha asked. “Or are we going to just… Try to settle where we are?”

“I want to send a distress signal, but I don’t know how long that could take, or what the other Arks discovered,” Captain Maen said. “If I can establish communications with them, then we _should_ be able to find a way to reconnect. But, in the event that we fail to do so…”

“We’re all doomed,” Udan said.

“We make this our home,” Letha argued. “There is a chance of finding homes here. It just might take more work than we were expecting.”

“Optimistic, isn’t she?” Udan asked as he nudged Sav’Nerra.

“She is… Notably unique,” Sav said, and Letha felt her heart race a little. What was that supposed to mean?

“You will be joined by your crew tonight at dinner,” Captain Maen said. “You will have Agapor _and_ Efelya on your crew, Udan. Accompanied by Dr. L’Shaol, Tayik, Esco Dal, and Uthassu Andolius. Tayik is a communications specialist, and Esco and Uthassu both served on the Sleepwalker teams. Your navigations and requisitions officers will be Ela’Qill and Tel’Marin. At the moment, I don’t want to overburden your ship.”

“So, skeleton crew it is,” Udan muttered. “We’ve got this, then.”

“Letha.” She turned to look at the Captain, shocked when she grabbed her shoulder. “I want to apologize for how… Hectic this all must seem.”

“I understand,” Letha said, shaking her head. “I will do the best that I can.”

“Good, good,” Captain Maen said. “Now, I have to debrief the Sleepwalker teams and speak with a few other people. You three are welcome to roam at your leisure.”

Udan could not have left the room faster if he tried, while Sav’Nerra seemed hesitant. As he approached, he offered his arm to escort her out. She gave him a small smile, and allowed him to guide her out into the hall.

The door closed behind them.

“I wanna go see the bodies,” Udan said the moment the door shut. “What about you two?”

“I… Want to say goodbye to Aravald,” Letha admitted. “And if I can possibly help figure out what happened, I want to.”

“I’ll go with you,” Sav said. “A-as support, if you need it, Pathfinder Vesura.”

“Please, just call me Letha,” she muttered. “I don’t… I am doing this to honor his memory. I don’t want to claim this as my title.”

“Understandable,” Udan said. “Let’s go, I can ask Agapor where the bodies are being held.”

“You don’t like Captain Maen.”

“Observant, for a Drell,” he said with a snort. “What gave it away?”

“You doubted half of what she said,” Letha said. “What do you mean _for a Drell?_ ”

“Your people are pretty to look at and acrobatic,” he said. “You’re like decorations that can kill you. I don’t really expect a slave to be—”

“I am _not_ a slave!” Letha shouted. Udan laughed, and she could feel Sav tense beside her.

Not even a day after waking up, and she was really starting to wonder if it was worth it.


	3. Fall Into Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New faces and new revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking, instead of doing three sections a chapter for each POV, of switching to alternating chapters. We'll see.

Three corpses lay in front of them. One Hanar, one Drell, and, strangely, one Quarian. Agapor, Udan’s friend and the Batarian that served on Midnight Squad, stood at the other end of the tables, accompanied by Whispering Shadows, a Hanar doctor.

“Remove the sheets,” Udan said, taking control of the situation from either him or Letha before they could even begin to speak. Agapor pulled the sheet off the Quarian first, saving the Hanar for last.

The Quarian was male, stripped naked to the cold environment of the makeshift morgue. His pale purple skin faded to grey at the extremities, and his eyes were blissfully shut by whoever located the body. The normally bright silver lines that ran the length of their bodies were dimmed on this one, and across the smooth plane of his chest, there was a carving.

The Drell was female, older than Letha if the discoloration of her skin around the edges of her face were to be used as a guide. Dark brown, with faded red patches on her face, stomach, and thighs. Her throat was mangled and covered in dried blood, her shoulders torn open, and a carving in her stomach.

Aravald’s body was the most disturbing. He fought the urge to hide Letha’s eyes the moment the sheet came off. The Hanar had been cut open, split almost in half, exposing internal organs. Without prior knowledge of Hanar internal anatomy, Sav couldn’t say if anything was amiss there.

“The symbol on Aravald is on his back,” Agapor explained. “Moving him is… Difficult, but I did take a picture of the carving if you need it.”

“Please,” Letha said. Sav stared at her, unable to read her expression or body language. Cold, closed off. A _stone_.

There was more to the little Drell than he assumed on a glance.

Agapor brought up his omnitool and brought the pictures up on the display, forcing the trio to almost crowd at his arms. Beside Sav, Letha shuddered. Her first sign of weakness in this situation.

“This one believes these are the symbols of a death cult from Kahje,” Whispering Shadows chimed in. “But it would not make sense for them to kill one of our own.”

“Am I right in assuming a few of these internal organs look rotted?” Udan asked. The Hanar doctor gave an affirmative. “And if we cut open the Drell and the Quarian, we would likely find the same?”

“We have not been given permission to do so,” Whispering Shadows said. “My colleagues and I would like to, but Captain—”

“Do it,” Udan said. Sav shot him a glare. If the Captain did not _want_ them to…

That didn’t sound right, now that he thought about it. Why would she not want to? His head started to ache.

“Start with the Drell,” Letha said. Sav looked at her only to notice she was transfixed on the symbol on Agapor’s screen.“…What was her name?”

“Verunia Valos,” Agapor said. “Mother to Aphevasci Valos.”

“What is the importance of that connection?” Sav asked.

“Nothing,” Agapor shrugged. “Unless you consider the death of our lead navigational expert’s mother important.”

“We should talk to Vasci,” Letha said. Under his and Udan’s gaze, she seemed flustered and shrank. “I-I mean, Miss Valos.”

“You’re familiar with her?” Udan asked. Letha nodded. “How?”

“Her brother…” Letha side. “Her brother is my son’s father. She and I were friends, until I gave my boy up.”

“Little more grown up than I thought you were, then,” Udan muttered. Sav glared at him and reached over to swat his arm.

“Don’t let appearances fool you,” Letha snapped. “I am _not_ a child.”

“We should go speak to Miss Valos, then,” Sav said, desperate to switch the topic. Something about Letha’s childishness, and sudden revelation of motherhood, made him uncomfortable. “Where could we find her?”

“Where most sane people should be,” Agapor said. “Eating breakfast.”

“Keep me updated,” Udan said. “On this and Effie.”

* * *

Udan sat across from the Drell woman and her brother. His stomach ached and growled, but he ignored it. Captain Maen promised them a meal later, and, well, he wanted a head start on whatever was going down. Then again, how far off was dinner?

Letha sat on one side of him, her head bowed, and he noticed both Drell on the opposite side of the table change their posture and demeanor.Bad blood. Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

“I’m sorry about Aravald,” the male said. The first to offer peace. “I know you must be—”

“Yihe,” Letha said, her voice quiet and soft, but with a rigidity he did not expect from her. “Is there anyone who might… We found…”

“Your mother’s dead,” Udan said. “Probably the same folks who killed the jellyfish. The doctor believes it had to do with a death cult from Kahje.”

“That’s absurd,” the female said. Aphevasci. For a Drell, she was incredibly sightly. A red glow almost seemed to illuminate her skin, flaring off the red scales, accentuated by pale white at her throat and collar area. “Why would a death cult come after Aravald _and_ our mother?”

“I don’t agree with Whispering Shadows,” Letha whispered. Udan almost spun his head to look at her. _Now_ she says something? “The carvings were sloppy. Imitation at best.”

“I hadn’t seen them yet,” Yihe admitted. “I was too busy with helping everyone wake up.”

“I’m aware,” Letha snapped. “Did you give them all the same lecture—”

“Letha!” Yihe exclaimed. Udan crossed his arms, and he heard Sav try to interrupt. “You can’t _blame_ me for how I feel.”

“Oh? So now you wish to control how I feel?” Letha asked. Yihe threw his hands up, almost in defeat. “You aren’t sorry for Aravald’s death.”

“You’re right, I’m not,” Yihe said with a sigh. “But that’s neither here nor there. Please, share your thoughts, Letha.”

“I want details later,” Udan muttered. Sav elbowed him and he laughed. “What? I want to get to know her better.”

“You’re miserable,” Sav mumbled. “I mean, truly.”

“You should go, now, before they cut the bodies open,” Letha said as she reached over and took something off his tray. A ration bar, not even something tasty. “And then come find me and tell me what you think.”

Yihe opened his mouth to protest, but then got up and hurried away. Aphevasci slammed her hands down on the table, making both trays rattle as she did. Letha, to Udan’s surprise, did not flinch.

“You have no right to command him, Leth,” she said. “You shouldn’t even be here.”

“Why is he?” Letha asked as she took a bite of the ration bar.What a complex mystery this little blue Drell was. “I thought in my absence, he would ignore my wishes and locate Homni.”

“When mother signed up to go on this trip, he followed,” Aphevasci said as she sank back into her seat. “If I had never signed on, then the four of us could have lived as a family. We could have reclaimed what you threw away.”

“Don’t you dare accuse Pathfinder Vesura like that!” Sav shouted. Udan rubbed his forehead. Stupid boy. Getting into fights that were not his own.

“Let it go, Sav’Nerra—”

“She knows her sins, Quarian,” Aphevasci sneered. “May she find penance for them in this new world.”

“Alright, that’s all we needed to hear,” Udan said as he got up. “We’ll keep in touch.”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh, we will,” Udan said with a smirk. “Especially me, sweetheart.”

“ _Ugh_.”

* * *

Letha trailed behind Udan and Sav’Nerra, her head swimming from the past hour and a half. Aravald’s dead body, seeing Yihe and his sister again. The bodies…

She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip as the images flashed through her mind. The sloppy carvings that must have looked ornate to her companions. Though, she had to admit, it was amazing to her Udan had picked up on the rotted internal organs.

Chemical or organic? She wanted to say organic, but given everything else, she was willing to be it was chemical. Aravald had told her how the death cults worked once or twice.

One in particular believed in rotting the body from the inside out, but the carvings… They did not add up. Those symbols were associated with a _blood_ cult, like Captain Maen mentioned.

“Letha?” Udan asked. She stared at him, then shook her head.

“I was just thinking,” she admitted. “Trying to connect the dots.”

“Well, we have quarters here on the Ark, why don’t we go there and talk?” Sav’Nerra offered. Letha nodded as the three of them entered the elevator. Sav operated it, picking where they went.

The steady thrum was relaxing, letting Letha close her eyes and think, and _focus_.

This was neither a blood cult or a death cult, she decided. It didn’t make sense. Both sects were incredibly proud and would not dip into each other’s modus operandi, let alone only to be sloppy about it.

Only a few organs were rotted. The carvings were sloppy. There was no precision, no order or rhyme to it. The Quarian being included might have been a desperate attempt to throw them off.

Then again, she did not know the full scope of all the deceased.

Udan led the three of them to his quarters, which happened to be the first door on the right in their hallway.

His quarters were quaint. His desk was massive, and above the bed there were weapons that looked perhaps ancestral. Letha had to admit she was at a disadvantage for not knowing much on Batarian culture or history.

“So. Vesura, speak,” he said. Letha glared at him. “You must have a few theories.”

“Without Whispering Shadows’s report or Dr. Valos’s, I can’t commit to anything,” she admitted. “But this sounds like it might be someone who has heard about the different cults and their methods of sacrifice, versus any one particular group.”

“So an unknown,” Udan said. Sav’Nerra hummed. “That’s not great.”

“All it does is eliminate two options,” Letha admitted. “Both cults do keep their activities hush and tend to put on a front, however. So it could be that a group of individuals stumbled upon their methods and didn’t realize the connotations or how separate they are?”

“Interesting theory,” Sav said. “But then, why target the people that they did?”

“Mm…” Letha closed her eyes. Too many variables. Too many questions.

“Pathfinder Vesura?” Yihe’s voice echoed across her omnitool. She opened it to see his face and felt a twinge in her chest. “At current report, of the two hundred sixteen confirmed corpses, one hundred and _nineteen_ are Hanar.”

“Well that’s not a small number,” Udan said. “How many were Drell?”

“Thirty-two Drell, twenty-six Quarian, thirteen Batarians, ten Volus, and the remaining sixteen are elcor,” Yihe said. “Dr. L’Shaol believes there might be more we have no found, but I will keep you up-to-date on those findings.”

“The three bodies we saw,” Sav spoke up. “Were we correct in believe all three had rotted internal organs?”

“Correct, but that’s not the most interesting discovery,” Yihe said. “The male Quarian you looked at? His name was Iza’Maen.”

Sav choked.

“He is Captain Maen’s _son_ ,” Yihe concluded. “And no, she is not aware of his death just yet, I believe.”

“Thank you, Yihe,” Letha whispered. This just confirmed one of her theories.


End file.
